Wedding Sites that Are Cheap

Finding a venue at which to have your wedding is one of the first things you do when you begin planning your special day.  Many of the larger venues are expensive to rent, and don’t include a lot of the things you need, such as tables, linens, chairs, and decorations.

If you have a college or university close by, take a walk across campus.  You might find the perfect outdoor spot, or a chapel to have your ceremony.  Some of them charge a fee to use the facility, and others don’t.  It generally is less expensive than other venues.

King College, in Bristol, Tennessee, was the location for Sydney and Matt’s summer wedding, featured in this slide show.  The colors were amazing, and the fragrance from the Freedom roses was romantic.

Check out my Slide Show!

Questions Wedding Vendors Hate

I’ve been querying wedding vendors about their experiences with brides and grooms.  One of the questions is “What questions do you hate?”  In this mini-series of blog posts, you will have a better understanding of life on the other side of the wedding planning process.  My first vendors are photographers.  Here are replies from two of them:

“I have a friend who likes to take pictures.  Can she follow you around and take them while you’re taking yours?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!”  This drives me crazy!  First of all, I have to deal with their flash going off, which interferes with my pictures.   It’s like dragging around a toddler, and it takes me twice as long to do my photos.”

“Hey, I just wanted to send you a link to this photographer.  I really like their style.  This is to give you an idea of some things I would like.”

“For us, being that we are 100% purist in photojournalism, the suggestion is usually for fashion/traditional work.  During our consultation, we go into great depths to explain and define our style.  We have a well defined style, which is not for everyone, and we are fully prepared to turn away business if a client wants something other than what we provide.  It is so very important for a bride to be fuly aware, and comfortable with how their photographer operates.  To ask a photographer to mimic another photographer’s style is insulting, and will limit their personal capabilities in serving you best with their personal expertise.  So, in a nutshell….do your research and know what’s important to you when it comes to the documentation of your day.”

I know the questions that frustrate me, but it’s interesting to learn from other vendors the ins and outs of their business.  I will continue this discussion with other photographers, caterers, bakers, florists, and videographers, so stay tuned.